Man found guilty of murder and abuse of mother-of-five in Sussex while on police bail

A man has been found guilty of murdering a mother-of-five while on police bail and violently abusing and controlling her in the lead-up to her death.

Holly Sanchez, 32, told police she was scared Ryan Evans would kill her if he found out she revealed to officers the abuse she suffered by him.

Evans, 31, was arrested over allegations of abuse on April 26, which he denied.

He was on bail conditions which said he must not contact Ms Sanchez directly or indirectly, when she was found dead on the floor in his lounge in Crawley, West Sussex, on May 13 2023.

Jurors at Brighton Crown Court on Tuesday (16 July) unanimously found Evans guilty of murder, one count of unlawful wounding, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and controlling and coercive behaviour.

He was found not guilty of another count of unlawful wounding.

Sussex Police has been ordered to improve its handling of domestic violence cases by watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after an investigation into the force’s contact with Ms Sanchez before the murder.

The court heard police were called out to incidents involving Ms Sanchez and Evans on four occasions in March and April, and Evans was arrested twice before his arrest on April 26.

An IOPC spokesman said the investigation found no breach of professional standards by individual police officers, but found learning recommendations for the force on policing domestic violence.

The family of Ms Sanchez said in a statement following the verdict: “We miss Holly and her infectious laugh every day. Holly was taken from us and her children by a cruel and evil monster.

“We hope that the sentencing reflects Evans’ brutal treatment of Holly over the last six weeks of her life.

“We hope that Holly’s case raises awareness of how quickly domestic violence can have fatal consequences. We hope that Holly’s story will reach victims of domestic violence that are too scared to speak out and ask for help.”

The family also thanked investigating officers for their help and support throughout the case.

• Det Supt Debbie White, Sussex Police, told ITV News Meridian how important it is for people to come forward about domestic abuse.

During the trial, prosecutor Ryan Richter had said: “It is the prosecution case that in the short time they were together, Mr Evans regularly subjected her to domestic violence, beating her and hurting her.

“The prosecution maintains that he caused the serious injuries which led to her death in the few days before she died.”

Mr Richter had told the trial it was immediately apparent to police who found Ms Sanchez that she had multiple injuries, with a swollen face “completely discoloured by bruising”.

Evans was also there, and had said when he went to sleep on the sofa that Ms Sanchez was alive, but he woke to find her unresponsive and called the police.

According to an expert in neuropathology, Professor Al-Sarraj, her significant brain injury was similar to those sustained in cases of car crashes and falls from significant height, Mr Richter said.

The prosecutor added a post-mortem examination of Ms Sanchez’s body showed chest injuries and damage to her left lung that had caused her to develop pneumonia, which led to her death.

Jurors heard how neighbours called the police on several occasions because of incidents between Evans and Ms Sanchez.

On one occasion a neighbour’s doorbell camera captured Evans dragging Ms Sanchez by the hair through the street, and another neighbour also saw Evans punching her in the face, while she asked him to stop hurting her.

Ms Sanchez told her brother Matthew Phillips that Evans dragged her because he was frustrated he could not pick her up, the prosecution added.

Mr Richter said how family members saw injuries on Ms Sanchez such as a split lip and candle wax on her arms.

They said how her brother said he noticed a change in his sister when she was with Evans, adding: “She had become really scared and when talking about everyday things she would suddenly break down and cry.

“She had started to become withdrawn and was not seeing him as much as she did.”

On April 18, Ms Sanchez told police during a 40-minute conversation about the abuse she suffered, and said she was scared he would kill her if he found out she had been talking to police, and had not “grassed” before.

The next day she called the police to retract what she said, the prosecutor told jurors, telling them she was an alcoholic and she remembered now that she had not been attacked, but had fallen out of a car.

Despite this, Evans was arrested and bailed on April 26.

He denied the allegations, telling officers she was an alcoholic who fell over all the time.

Evans was arrested on the morning of May 13 and told police she had turned up at his home two days before her death, with what looked like “sunburn” on her face, and was bleeding from her nose and mouth, Mr Richter said.

The prosecutor added that Evans told police it had got worse as the days went on, but nothing happened at the house to contribute to her injuries.

A friend of Evans, Adam Roberts, told police that the day before Ms Sanchez’s death, he had seen Evans going “mental” at her for about five minutes, punching her and stamping on her head.

Evans did not give evidence during the trial but jurors heard a statement from defence witness Stacey Curtis, a school friend of Ms Sanchez, who last saw her two weeks before she died.

The care assistant said Ms Sanchez had two black eyes and a swollen nose and told her she had been attacked by a different man who she owed £20 to.

Ms Curtis recalled Ms Sanchez as a “caring, friendly and outgoing person who would do anything for anyone”.

The prosecution said that Ms Sanchez’s life became “more chaotic” after her husband was remanded into custody in late 2022.

Evans, of Crawley, will be sentenced on September 13.

Police handling of domestic violence under investigation

The IOPC found wider recommendations were needed into Sussex Police's handling of domestic violence following a review in the wake of Holly Sanchez’s death.

An IOPC spokesman said: “In May 2023, following a mandatory referral from Sussex Police, we began an independent investigation into contact Sussex Police officers had with Holly prior to her death on May 13 in Crawley, West Sussex, including the actions and decision making of the officers involved.

“We established that officers came into contact with Holly on multiple occasions between March and May 2023 after concerned members of the public called police.”

The watchdog reviewed the actions of officers who interacted with Ms Sanchez following the incidents, including going through body worn footage and statements from the staff.

The spokesman added: “We concluded our investigation in December 2023 and found no indication that any officers may have breached police professional standards.

“We did identify learning recommendations relating to the force’s policies on policing domestic violence, and around Home Office guidance for handling domestic violence disclosure scheme applications – known as Clare’s Law.

“We will be working with the force and the Home Office to progress those recommendations.”

Sussex Police said learning recommendations flagged to them include reviewing risk assessments, improve information sharing with local authorities and prioritising the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme – known as Clare’s Law.

The scheme allows people to request information on their or someone else’s partner or ex-partner’s criminal history to see if they are at risk of abuse.

Sussex Police said it has created a new process to speed up the amount of time to reply to requests.

A spokesperson added: “Sussex Police has dramatically improved its service to potential victims of domestic abuse with this innovative new system.

“The force has already started working with the IOPC and the Home Office to progress the learning recommendations identified, in a bid to ensure any further victims receive the support and safeguarding they need.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…